The Empty Tomb: A Personal Awakening

John chapters 20 and 21 offer a powerful and intimate glimpse into the days following Jesus’ resurrection. These chapters don’t just report that Jesus is alive—they reveal how He showed Himself to be alive in deeply personal and transformative ways. From the garden tomb to the seashore, Jesus meets His followers where they are—in their grief, in their fear, in their doubt, in their failure—and lovingly calls them forward into faith, mission, and restoration.

These final chapters of John’s Gospel highlight some of the richest themes in the Christian life: the triumph of faith over fear, the renewal of purpose through grace, the beauty of spiritual intimacy, and the call to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Every encounter tells a story—not just of what happened then, but of what Jesus continues to do in the hearts of His people today.

As we walk through these stories together over the summer, we will see that Jesus is not distant or detached from our lives. He is present. He knows us by name. He meets us in our everyday moments, and He invites us into a life that is both deeply personal and powerfully missional. Through these resurrection encounters, we’ll discover how Jesus prepares each of us uniquely for the ministry He’s given us and how He shapes us to become true disciples who live by faith, walk in love, and boldly follow wherever He leads.